India’s Congress-led coalition Government on Wednesday introduced in the country’s parliament a Bill to amend the Constitution for ratification of its 1974 Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh and the protocols added to the deal in 2011.
India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid introduced the Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill in the Rajya Sabha – the upper House of the Indian Parliament – to ratify the land deal, amid stiff resistance from the opposition parties like the Trinamool Congress and Asom Gana Parishad.
The Rajya Sabha was adjourned sine die soon after the Bill was introduced. It is now likely to be taken up during the next session of Parliament.
Khurshid had earlier made attempts to introduce the Bill in the Rajya Sabha in May and August last during the Budget and Monsoon sessions of the Parliament. He, however, had not been able to introduce the Bill due to stiff resistance from the AGP and TMC.
The Rajya Sabha witnessed uproar over the Bill on Wednesday too. The RS saw repeated adjournments as members created a ruckus after Deputy Chairman P J Kurien tried to take leave of the House for the introduction of the Bill.
The TMC parliamentarians led by Derek O’Brien and AGP’s Birendra Prasad Baishya rushed to the Well of the House to protest introduction of the Bill. Baishya carried a placard that claimed that the AGP would continue to protest moves to implement the deal.
The protesting MPs even reached closer to Khurshid while Baishya was seen rushing towards him ostensibly to snatch the Bill.
The House was then adjourned for 10 minutes. After the House reassembled, ruckus continued but Khurshid introduced the Bill amid din.
Ever since Dhaka and New Delhi added the protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement in September 2011 to finally settle the boundary and resolve disputes over enclaves and adversely possessed pieces of land, the AGP and Bharatiya Janata Party – the largest opposition party in Indian Parliament – have been vociferously opposing the move to ratify the deal.
Trinamool Congress, which quit the ruling UPA coalition Government in 2012, later lent its voice to the clamour against the deal.
The AGP is a regional party based in north-eastern Indian state of Assam, while the TMC is in power in West Bengal. Both have been alleging that the additional protocol of the India-Bangladesh land deal, if implemented, would go against the interests of Assam and West Bengal as the States would lose more than they gain.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sharply reacted to the tabling of Bill in the Rajya Sabha to ratify the LBA with Bangladesh.
In her facebook post, she termed the move as an “unfortunate and shameless” act.
Source: Bd news24
